Fort Smith Police Seek Robbery Suspect

Fort Smith police are looking for a suspect in a shoplifting attempt that escalated into robbery.

About 5:18 p.m. June 24, store personnel at Dillard’s at Central Mall, 5111 Rogers Ave., approached a man as he attempted to leave with unpaid merchandise, according to a news release from Sgt. Daniel Grubbs. After being confronted, the suspect became physically violent with store personnel and threatened them with a box knife, Grubbs stated.

The man — described as a white male, 30-40 years of age, 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-4, about 250 pounds — was last seen leaving the mall parking lot driving a pewter-colored, early 2000 model Chevrolet Suburban or Tahoe, with an unknown license plate, the release states.

According to a police report, a Dillard’s employee told police he saw a white man conceal a pack of underwear and try to leave the store.

The employee stopped the man as he was leaving and told the man he caught him stealing merchandise. The suspect denied stealing anything and tried to leave before the employee grabbed him by the arm and could feel the merchandise under his clothing, the report states.

After a few minutes, the suspect removed the merchandise, dropping it onto the floor. The two went to the store’s office to fill out paperwork, according to the report.

The man told the employee that his name was “Jimmy Claghorn,” but did not provide any further information. The employee reported smelling an odor of alcohol coming from the man, the report states.

While waiting for police, the man told the employee he wanted to use the bathroom, to which the employee replied to wait for police. The man tried to leave before the employee tried to stop him, pushing the employee through the door and wrestling with him. The two got to the hall where the suspect slammed the employee on the ground and put him in a headlock, saying, “he didn’t want to hurt him but he would,” according to the report.

The suspect exited the hall and into the store before another employee and a customer calmed the man down and got him back into the office, the report states.

The reporting employee told police the man stood up and urinated into a trash can in the office. He began digging through items on the desk, picked up a box knife and said, “this will work,” according to the report.

The suspect allegedly held the box knife and told the employees to let him leave or he would hurt them. He left the store and went to a vehicle in the parking lot, the report states.

Police searched records but were unable to locate any information on anyone named “Jimmy Claghorn,” according to the report.

Anyone with information about the suspect pictured or knows his whereabouts is asked to call the Fort Smith Police Department at 709-5100.